Wind Dancer
by Gweniveve Skyes
Summary: Nothing shall bind me, nothing shall defeat me for I am the Wind Dancer, lord of the realm between earth and sky...


WindDancer

I stand at my post, my ears pricking around at the noise that surrounds me. It is loud, and it makes my head hurt. But it is what my trainer loves and since I love him, I follow. I look to my left, and to my right; there are many other opponents today besides myself, rapidashes, dodrios and others. I am the only one of my kind at this race. But I have faith in the strength in my legs and chest and the decisions of my trainer. I glance over to my right, where a man sits at a booth, holding a gun. He points it up in the air and he pulls the trigger. A flare rises into the air, signaling the start of the race. I feel my trainer wedge his heels into my orange fur and I bolt, striving to keep with those who sped ahead.

I truly shine here, my footpads barely touching the ground as I glide along the rocky earth, There are no binds that chain me to the ground. I am free, truly free. This is my battlefield, not the league fields, not some gym somewhere, but the boundary between the open sky and earth, where there is no one but my master and I.

The world becomes a blur as the long, tawny gold grasses tickle my flanks. I sneeze from the pollen that I stirred up. I pass many of my opponents, they are no match for me. As my master's pokedex says, I am the legendary pokemon, lord of the plains, renowned for my nobility and grace. There is nothing that will stand in my way.

My mane flows in the wind, brushing up against my master's face, making him laugh. I love his laughter, it always makes me smile. The yards stretch into miles as I continue to run. The other pokemon lag behind or fall out of the race, thus proving once again my superiority. I'm now a black and orange blur, coming up on those ahead, a Dodrio and a Rapidash. I remember my master telling me that Rapdashes are the fastest pokemon on earth; obviously they never met me.

We pass over a rocky field and I don't even notice the hard rocks that jut underneath me. The poke out of the ground like jagged teeth of the earth, but I pass through the towering ones as if they were nothing. And they are. They are nothing more than brown splashes of color as I race by them.

Now the third leg of the race. A Raging river roars in front of us, and while I might be weak to the water, I'm not going to let it stop me. It is a minor obstacle to my victory ay hand.

I leap to the first rock, close to the edge of the river, and my foot slips, sending water spraying everywhere. Maybe this would be slightly more difficult then I thought. I freeze, praying that my trainer doesn't fall in. He reassures me with a pat on the side and mumbles a few words of encouragement in my ear. I can already feel the water soaking my leg. Fire types aren't meant to be in water. I leap onto the next one, then the next, my eyes wide with dismay as the Rapidash and Dodrio are ahead of me still. I'm not going to let this water and the two beat me. Not this time. I jump to the third and then onto the bank. My master praises me, but I do not want them now. I want them when I win.

Now, the final leg, a long open track that is a straight shot to the finish line. This is my area of expertise. I break into a full out run, not caring whether I hurt myself. I have to win.

I need to win. For myself and my master.

There is no ground anymore. There is no track, no opponents, no crowd. Not even my master. There is only myself and the winds. I have become one with the sky, breaking away from the earth. I dance upon the winds, as if they were my track now. I am the lord of the sky, the currents which blow which way or that. Even if I may not have wings, I am in the clouds, the highest points in the sky.

My lungs burn, but I ignore that. My legs ache, but I ignore them too. My mane and tail billow out behind me as I conquer the track. I easily overtake the Dodrio and it's rider, laughing to myself as they become nothing more than tiny specks behind me, their chance of victory and fame disappearing away from them. Now, the Rapidash.

She is a tough opponent, but I am the Wind Dancer, master of everything between earth and sky. She is nothing, limited by the earth that binds her to the track. But nothing enchains me save love. I start to come close to her, feeling the heat radiate off her skin. Two fire types battling it out, striving for the prize. I vaguely hear the roars of the crowds, but they are drowned out by the rush of the winds, my domain.

Then something happens.

The finish line is just in front of me, with no one ahead. I'm actually winning. I will win! But I suddenly feel something jab my flank and searing pain erupts within. The earth rushes to meet me and I stumble, my connection with the sky broken. Stinging tears prick my eyes and I watch helplessly as the Rapidash sails over me, winning, taking everything I wanted. I pull myself up, ignoring the blood that was staining my orange and black streaked fur, and I drag myself to the finish line, just ahead to the finish line.

I lost. I failed my trainer. I lick the blood off my fur, the suspicion that the Rapidash caused the wound, but at the moment I don't care. I look to my owner, apologetic. I failed him.

Yet, despite all that, he doesn't care. He gives me a scratch on the head, his fingers in my mane.

"Good job Aeros," he praises me. Why isn't he angry? Does he even care that we lost? I realize then that winning or losing doesn't matter to him as it does to me. Maybe I should learn from him. He pulls out a red and white sphere. "You deserve a good long rest. I'll take you to the Pokecenter as soon as possible."

As the red light engulfs me, I realize that winning or losing shouldn't matter. Even though I may be confined to this tiny sphere, I will always be free.

For I am the Wind Dancer, master of the world between earth and sky.


End file.
